Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is adamant that the referee’s sending off of Real Madrid’s Pepe was the right decision.Portugal defender Pepe was given his marching orders for a lunge on Brazilian wingback Dani Alves on 61 minutes in Barca’s 2-0 defeat of Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday, which also saw Madrid boss Jose Mourinho sent to the stands for his continual protesting over the decision.
But despite the post-match attention centring on the officiating – with Mourinho stating he believed Barca continually received favourable decisions – Xavi insisted the refereeing should not overshadow his side’s performance.
“I don’t want to talk about (Jose) Mourinho. I only want to discuss Barcelona. We put in a good performance and it’s a fair result. This is a victory for football,” he told Spanish sports daily Marca.
“I just want to talk about football. There will always be decision from referees that will be talked about. Sometimes they go against you and sometimes they go in your favour. It was clear to see for everybody that Pepe’s dismissal was a correct decision.”
The 2-0 result, courtesy of two goals from Argentine dynamo Lionel Messi, has put the Catalans in a commanding position ahead of the return leg at Camp Nou on Tuesday.
“We got the result that we deserved. We were again superior. We’re a team that wants to play attacking football and have fun on the pitch. They (Real Madrid) are just hoping that we’ll make mistakes. That worked in the Copa del Rey final, but not this time,” Xavi said.
Team-mate Gerard Pique blamed Real Madrid for naivety and negative tactics on their own turf, which he believed led to their demise.
”We fought well and had a good result. Now it is up to the second game,” he said. “It’s always the same. They didn’t want to play at football, (even) at their own stadium. They play at the limit of violence. If you play with fire, you can end up burning.”
Javier Mascherano, however, warned his Barca team-mates of complacency, insisting their rivals were capable of mounting a comeback in the reverse tie.
“I’m very content with the outcome from this match, but this doesn’t change anything about the second leg,” he said.
“There is another game to be played and Real Madrid are a very strong team that will do their utmost to turn things around.”
Blackpool have rejected a transfer request handed in by captain Charlie Adam on Monday.
The 25-year-old Scot handed in the request after the Seasiders rejected a four-million-pound bid for his services from Liverpool on Saturday, the third time the club had knocked back an offer for the player after earlier interest from Aston Villa and Birmingham.
Blackpool manager Ian Holloway said Liverpool would need to up their bid in order to prise Adam away from Bloomfield Road.
“If I was the Liverpool manager I would want to buy him because they have never replaced Xabi Alonso,” said Holloway.
“But you have to come up with the right amount of money. I don’t want to stand in his way, but they have to put up or shut up.”
And despite the midfielder handing in the transfer request, Holloway said there was no way he would drop Adam for Blackpool’s match against Manchester United on Tuesday,
“Not a chance,” Holloway said. “If I tried to stop that boy playing against Manchester United, he would probably kill me.”
“Charlie loves this club and just because he puts a transfer request in doesn’t change that.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Adam joined Blackpool from Rangers in August 2009 and was a key figure in getting the club promoted into the Premier League last season.
He has played a key role in Blackpool’s impressive campaign that sees them sit 12th in the league standings, scoring four goals in 21 matches.
Newcastle United will face stiff competition from Italian giants Roma to sign Manchester United’s highly rated, wantaway midfielder Ravel Morrison according to talkSPORT.
The Magpies had a £500,000 bid rejected by the English champions last week and are set to increase their offer in order to bring one of the hottest prospects in European football to the North East. But Serie A club Roma have been informed that Morrison would be open to a switch to Italy and are set to approach him and his representatives this month.
The 18-year-old is out of contract in the summer and Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that the player demanded ‘unrealistic’ contract demands and although Morrison claims otherwise, the two parties are still miles apart. With the player’s contract expiring in six months, clubs are allowed to discuss a possible move in the summer with the player on a free but Sir Alex is confident it won’t come to that.
Morrison has made just three first team appearances for United; all in the League Cup; and is growing more and more concerned with his lack of action, even though Sir Alex has had horrific selection problems in the centre of midfield, it seems he feels the England-under 19 playmaker is not ready.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Inter boss Leonardo has conceded a comeback against Schalke in the Champions League quarter-final could be beyond their reach.Despite a positive start at the San Siro after Dejan Stankovic’s long-range strike, the Italians saw their lead and hopes of retaining the title slip away from them courtesy of a three-goal second-half performance by the Bundesliga club, who go into the return leg 5-2 up.
“Tonight’s game started in the best possible fashion and it would have been difficult to predict what was to come,” the Brazilian said after the game.
“Early in the second half we missed a couple of chances and immediately Schalke scored their third.”
The Inter boss, who saw also the Nerazzurri concede ground in the Serie A title race following the loss in the Milan derby on Saturday, rued Schalke’s ruthless conversion rate on Tuesday.
He admitted his side had a mountainous task to overcome in the return leg at Gelsenkirchen next Wednesday.
“They had six or seven shots and scored five goals, so in that we can feel hard done by,” he said.
“After their third and fourth goals responding became difficult, especially with ten men, and in the end we lacked balance, as we did on Saturday against Milan.”
“It’s difficult to think about mounting a recovery in the second leg, but we’ll try to capture the best possible result.”
“Unfortunately, the crucial period of the season has come at the wrong time for us. It took a lot of effort to climb the league standings and Inter always play to win. It’s the only way we know.”
Despite the emphatic away victory, Schalke boss Ralf Rangnick refused to be taken away by the result, insisting the contest was not over – yet.
“We are not in the semi-finals just yet, but we have a pretty big chance now,” he said. “In the end, we could have scored even more.”
“It is surely the best game of my career. Had someone told us before the match that we would beat Inter by three goals, we would have had him (or her) declared crazy.”
West Ham came within seconds of climbing out of the relegation zone but ended bottom of the table after a 2-2 draw at Everton on Saturday.
Avram Grant’s men took the lead through Jonathan Spector in the first half and defended stoically until substitute Diniyar Bilyaletdinov equalised with 15 minutes to go.
Frederic Piquionne’s elation at scoring what he thought was the winner was wiped away by a red card for a second bookable offence. But the goal still looked like a decisive one, which would have lifted the Hammers out of the bottom three.
But, with seconds remaining, Marouane Fellaini ensured the points would be shared with a composed finish in injury time.
The first half was equally balanced with both teams going close.
But as it seemed the home side would take control of the game, Spector arrived in the area to score his first Premier League goal of the season.
After some neat work from Mark Noble and a composed pull back from Luis Boa Morte, Spector was on hand to smash the ball past Tim Howard to silence the home crowd.
Everton’s players were booed off the pitch after a dismal first half performance. But West Ham’s inability to add to their narrow lead kept the hosts in the game.
Everton broke through 13 minutes from time in emphatic fashion after Fellaini nodded the ball into Bilyaletdinov’s path who drilled past Robert Green to set up a dramatic finish.
Just as it seemed the onus was on the home side to get the win, Wayne Bridge crossed for Piquionne who capped a superb performance with a glancing header into the Everton net.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The sheen was taken off the moment by the goal scorer’s sending off – Piquionne had been booked minutes before the goal for an off the ball incident. Peter Walton then gave the striker his marching orders for an over-zealous celebration.
West Ham’s opportunity to escape the relegation zone was snatched away by Fellaini in the 90th minute.
Jack Rodwell headed the ball into the towering Belgian’s path who neatly finished to save a point for his side.
The Premier League has long been dogged by claims that it’s an elitist league almost impossible to stay in for promoted clubs – the disparity between quality out on the pitch and reddies in the coffers apparently too large to breach. However, season by season now, promoted clubs have more than often fared well in their maiden voyage into the top flight. With the Premier League now beginning to shape up in three distinct groups. Now, more than ever before, the gap appears to be shortening.
For instance, in 2008/9, perennial yo-yo club West Brom were promoted alongside Hull City and Stoke City. They went onto finish 20th, 17th and 12th respectively in a season that appeared to mark a watershed for promoted clubs, with two of them beating the drop.
In 2009/10, Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley all came up, with only the Clarets dropping down again. Last season Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool all came up, with only the Seasiders missing out due to some final day heartache.
This term, QPR, Norwich and Swansea have all adjusted to the demands and step up in quality with apparent ease, with all three sides claiming scalps along so far. They occupy 12th, 8th and 10th positions so far respectively.
To put it into context, when you tally up the final league positions of the past 12 promoted teams, prior to this season’s exciting triumvirate, then you are left with an overall final league position of 16th. Of the same 12 promoted sides, only 5 have been relegated in their first season.
Of course, you are dealt with such anomalies such as yo-yo clubs like West Brom and the fact that Birmingham have been the unfortunate recipients of two relegations inside three seasons, but by and large, promoted side are certainly more competitive than in season’s past. The likelihood of encountering another unprepared Derby side, which finished the 2007/8 season with just one victory to their name for the entire campaign and a pitiful tally of just 11 points, a whole 24 points adrift of 19th place, has diminished.
The Championship is famed for being one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Getting out of that league is often seen as more difficult and more of an achievement than staying in the top flight. Of the three relegated sides from the 2009/10 season (Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull), it’s worth noting that none of them bounced back immediately and the highest league finish among them was Burnley in 8th, just outside the playoffs.
Spending your way out of the Championship is no guarantee of success either. Middlesborough went into the 2009/10 league campaign as the hot favourites for promotion, after Gordon Strachan saw his mini Old Firm revolution backed to the tune of £6m – they went onto finish a lowly 11th, with Strachan departing the season after with the club stranded in 20th place.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
This term, Sven Goran Eriksson has already received his P45 at Leicester after an expensive overhaul of the squad in the summer which saw the club spend upwards of £20m in the last year or so and have seen little change back from that hefty outlay. With mixed results on the pitch, entirely understandable it has to be said considering the number of fresh faces, Leicester currently sit in 8th just two points outside the playoffs.
The Premier League can be neatly split up into three sections – we have the top two of Manchester United and Manchester City. Then you have those chasing the other European spots and league positions between 3rd and 8th which includes Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and at a push both Everton and Stoke and then from 8th downwards you have everyone else.
Last season, just 16 points separated 8th from bottom – the season before it was 42 points. The final league table was extremely congested which suggests a decrease in quality – a levelling of the playing field as it were; a situation that all promoted sides will be familiar with from the Championship. From Fulham in 8th to Wigan down in 16th, there was a separation of just seven points.
To put it quite simply, the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is shortening because the gap in quality within the top flight itself is widening. If you swapped West Ham, Southampton and Middlesbrough for the current bottom three, would anyone really notice the difference?
On one hand, the increasingly competitive nature of promoted sides is a positive thing, with Stoke providing the model by which others should look to follow in the future. But on the other hand, the lack of competition in the higher reaches of the Premier League is concerning.
Alongside Stoke’s unexpected European soirée, that is what makes Newcastle’s surprisingly excellent start to the season so exciting with the Magpies currently sat pretty in 3rd, making a mockery of those that considered them one of the favourites for the drop and consigned them to relegation before the season had even begun.
The strength of showing that the recent promoted outfits have provided only helps serve to highlight the relative lack of depth to the top flight. Thus far, the likes of Swansea, QPR and Norwich have been rewarded for failing to compromise their footballing principles. The days of having to adjust a team’s style of play to deal with the step up in class are over.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Promoted clubs are still often among the favourites for the drop before a season begins, and this doesn’t look like changing any time soon, but by taking a closer look at the evidence, more and more sides are acclimatising to the step up with ease. As a result, this season’s relegation candidates look likely to come from a small group of established Premier League sides as the gap continues to close.
Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping to get revenge on their great rivals after their 6-1 drubbing at Old Trafford early in the season. United don’t go into the game with any great confidence, given their back to back defeats.
At FFC this week there’s been plenty of United blogs that include the Pogba conundrum; in defence of David De Gea, while something of a faux pas by Sir Alex Ferguson.
We also have a selection of the best United blogs from across the web.
Something of a faux pas by Sir Alex Ferguson?
The TEN Manchester United starlets that proved anything but
Transfer dealings at Manchester United?
Proving his worth at Old Trafford in a time of need
United stopper certainly doesn’t lack confidence
‘Modern Manchester United’ all set for January revamp
A £30m gamble worth taking by Sir Alex?
United could be party to one of football’s great travesties
When Paul Pogba is ready, he won’t be held back
In defence of David De Gea
A problem Ronaldo can address, but will his ego let him?
Sir Alex Ferguson given transfer greenlight
[divider]
Best of WEB
[divider]
Is It Time For Sir Alex To Ask For Some Assistance? – Red Flag Flying High
Liverpool loses dignity, respect and legitimacy – United Rant
A Starlet Well Deserving Of Praise – The Busby Way
We’re Not Skint. So Why No Midfielder? – 7Cantonas
Who Will Follow Macheda Out The Old Trafford Door? – The United Religion
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
[divider]
Click on Wayne Bridge’s current lady below to unveil our WAG XI of the season
Austrian side Sturm Graz progressed to the third round of Champions League qualifying despite a 3-2 loss to Videoton.All five goals came in an eventful first half at the Sostoi Stadion in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, but the victory for the hosts was not enough to see them through to the next round following Sturm’s 2-0 first-leg win at home.
The visitors twice came from behind on Wednesday with Akos Elek and Gyorgy Sandor putting Videoton ahead only for Andreas Holzl and Ferdinand Feldhofer to equalise for Sturm.
Zoltan Liptak’s goal in the second minute of first-half injury time restored Videoton’s lead, but Sturm’s advantage from the first leg was enough to ensure they progressed 4-3 on aggregate.
Maccabi Haifa also progressed to the next round despite losing on Wednesday, with FK Borac Banja Luka’s 3-2 victory in Bosnia Herzegovina not enough to overturn the Israeli side’s 5-1 first-leg lead.
Continuing the trend of losing teams progressing, Rosenborg were beaten 2-0 by Icelandic side Breidablik but still moved into the third round 5-2 on aggregate.
The Norwegian side all but sealed their progress into the third qualifying round with a 5-0 home win last week, and goals from Dylan McAllister and Kristinn Steindorsson in the return leg were not enough to turn things around for Breidablik.
Georgian outfit Zestafoni held on for a 3-2 aggregate win over Dacia Chisinau following their 2-0 loss in Moldova.
Zestafoni led 3-0 from last week’s first leg, but went behind early thanks to a Dmitri Popovici strike and were forced to play most of the second half with 10 men after Teimuraz Gongadze received his second yellow card in the 64th minute.
Ghenadie Orbu scored a late spot kick for the hosts to ensure a nervy finish for Zestafoni, but they held on to book their spot in the next round.
Cypriot champions APOEL smashed four goals past Albanian outfit Skenderbeu to secure their progression 6-0 on aggregate.
Nigeria fullback Taye Taiwo has joined Serie A champions AC Milan on a free transfer from Ligue 1 club Marseille.Taiwo, 26, completed a medical with Milan on Wednesday before finalising his switch from the Stade Velodrome to the San Siro on Thursday, signing a three-year contract.
The left-back had made more than 185 appearances in six seasons with Marseille, playing a key part in the club’s Ligue 1 championship success last season.
Formerly of Nigerian clubs Lobi Stars and Gabros, Taiwo scored the winner for Marseille in their League Cup final victory against Montpellier last month.
“I thank God for this move, joining another big team like AC Milan is a dream come true,” Taiwo said.
“I am leaving a big club for another one, one I was only able to dream of playing for as a kid.”
“I will surely miss the city and Olympique Marseille, the fans, players, management and French football in general.”
“It is emotional and sad to leave a place I have come to call home but I’m taking a piece of Marseille with me.”
Taiwo has 48 caps for Nigeria and appeared in the 2010 World Cup finals.
He joins a Milan side celebrating their first Scudetto since 2004, the same year he made his full international debut.
“I hope to bring my best to a team that’s parading great players already,” he said.
“The three-year deal is signed now and all I can do is give my all to a dream club and win trophies to complete the union.”
“I am a happy man and my immediate target is to be a winner here.”
Romelu Lukaku has experienced a meteoric rise to fame. Just two years after making his debut for Anderlect, 17 year old Lukaku’s ability has already been compared to that of Didier Drogba (also note the physical resemblance). He has started attracting the interest of clubs from around the world, including Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United and has even earned plaudits from Cristiano Ronaldo, who has called him “a fantastic young player”. You’d be excused if Lukaku has slipped under your radar, so here are five things that you need to know about the young Belgian striker.
1. Romelu Renama Lukaku was born on the 13th May 1993 which, as stated before makes him only 17. He signed his first professional contract with Belgian giants Anderlecht at the age of 16 and made his debut only 11 days later. Prior to his big break in the first team, he had been scoring goals for Anderlect since he was 12, an amazing 121 goals in 87 games for the youth side. He comes from a good footballing family, his father is former professional Roger Lukaku and his brother Jordan is also a professional player at Anderlecht.
2. The 09/10 Belgian Juliper Pro League season was his true breakthrough. At the age of 16 he finished as the league’s top scorer with 15 goals in 24 games and helped Anderlecht to the league title. It was on the back of this season that calls for an international call-up were finally heeded and he made his debut against Croatia in February 2010.
[divider]
[divider]
3. His physical attributes indicate that he would be well suited to a physical Premier League tussle. He stands at an immense 6ft 4in and over 14 stone – not bad for a lad mid-way through his teens, but it is also the nature of his game that appears to be well beyond his years. As well as outmuscling opponents, he can also out think them and out run them. He has the positional sense of a seasoned professional and can score goals on the ground and in the air.
*
4. Despite being Europe’s new hot property Lukaku is very ambitious, yet has his feet firmly on the ground. When asked what he thought of being branded ‘The new Drogba’, he replied: “It’s an honour. Didier, along with Adebayor, is my idol. But he is a world-class attacker and has scored more than 100 goals for Chelsea whereas I’m just starting out. It would be better to see how I compare when I’m his age.”
*
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
5. So is he interested in a move? The answer is yes, but not quite yet. He would like to finish school before seeking a move, and even then he is keen to repay Anderlect for their faith in him: “Anderlecht have been very good to me, I like it here and I may even stay until I’m 20”, Lukaku has said. This sentiment is also supported by his father Roger, who is the young player’s career counsellor and ensures he avoids the pitfalls that modern day players are subject to.